Leader of the New School: Catching Up With Dinco D

Being in a group isn’t easy, and there are plenty of examples of how complex the dynamic can be. Whether it’s animosity towards one member, who gets more spotlight, à la Method Man, or an awkward love triangle like City High. Money can – and usually does – change everything.
When it comes to golden era groups, it’s hard to ignore the imminent rise of Leaders Of The New School. The trio, which consisted of members Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Busta Rhymes came to prominence after their classic appearance on Tribe Called Quests’ Scenario. However, behind the scenes – and in one case in front of cameras – the group seemed to begin unraveling almost immediately. The group left behind two notable albums and was the springboard for Busta’s rise into the realm of rap’s elite.

Last week, I caught up with 1/3 of the group Dinco D. He shared some insight on the group’s break-up, what came next for him and his upcoming album with original Tribe Called Quest member Jarobi.

How did you initially get involved in hip-hop?

Growing up in NY, it was all around me. Plus, my brother Jazz had a DJ crew – so I would go through all his records and play with his equipment.

How did you meet Charlie and Busta?

We grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same school. Brown introduced me to Busta and wanted to form a group. So we begin writing and performing together. The rest is history.

Busta said in an interview with Vlad that he almost left the group before the first album. What was the dynamic like in the group right before it took off?

He was doing his own thing for a minute and was neglecting what we were building. He would miss important meetings, and not put effort into us as a “group” – so understandably it was a bit frustrating.

What caused the group to split up?

It was a combination of outside forces and inside forces. You could see people were helping Busta do his own thing, and not supporting Leaders of the New School as a unit. Brown took it hard, cause he formed the group. We worked hard as youngsters to make our dreams a reality, so to have it dismantled quicker than it took us to make it happen was stressful.

Tell us about Dinco after LOTNS. What came next for you?

Well, I moved to ATL. I was promoting parties and working with artists down there. It was a whole different vibe at that point in history; Jermaine Dupri was blowing with So So Def, and Laface –with Dallas Austin and Outkast – was on the rise. They had their families and weren’t supporting NY artists that much. So, I came back home and started producing again with my brothers Shamello and Buddha (who made Put Your Hands Where Your Eyes Can See for Busta). We did songs for Mc Lyte, Zhané, Pharcyde and couple other artists. We also did scoring for some films.

Can you tell us about the collaborative project you and Jarobi are working on?

Its called the Leaders Quest Mission, a project we have been brewing for the past year or so. We’ve always been around each other, and recently started doing songs; it was very organic. It’s started sounding better and better, so we decided to make it a full LP.

What else have you been working on lately?

I have a single called “MeUwe” coming out with a band called Shinobi Ninja, and a solo project as well. Plus I have some new artists I’m pushing, one of which is Bigg East from Long Island. Also, I do a regular party called Party Flavors (which is a collaboration with Jarobi), and some product branding. I stay busy.

You came up in the golden era, what’s your take on the current hip-hop scene?

It’s cool, not as enjoyable as I wish it were, though. There’s so much repetitiveness in terms of style/lyrics, and no real versatility. Still, my heart is in hip hop, and it will never leave my body. So I find something I like and support it as much as I can.

Who are some of your fave artists out right now?

A lot of unknown underground artists – and a select few established ones. It goes up and down daily. No one stands out as an innovative phenomenal mega star.

Can you share one of your fave memories of LOTNS?

The whole movement was incredible; from being on In Living Color, and Arsenio Hall on my birthday, to chilling with LL in LA.

Riley here — father, artist, videographer, professional writer and SERIOUS hip-hop head. I'm a member of the Universal Zulu Nation, and I think everything is better on vinyl.
Add me on Twitter! @specialdesigns

Today South Florida artist CameronAirborne, drops the music video for his song “No Cuffin” featuring buzzing rapper Jackboy. In the Andrew Colton directed music video, listeners get a hazy and psychedelic visual to go along with CameronAirborne‘s catchy Summer bop.

“The beat was a collaborative track with K.E. on the Track. He laced up the beat and I got Jackboy on there for the hook too. It’s just real catchy, we shot the video for the track and it just a had kind of club or pop vibe to it. It’s definitely a Summer song and its very upbeat and kind of fast paced, it def keeps the head nodding.”

Combing elements of guitar and singing, CameronAirborne has found a lane doing his own thing combining it all with rap after performing in a band early on in his career.

“I play guitar because I had played in a band before and I ended up rapping. It gave me stage experience and the drive to want to do my own thing.” CameronAirborneexplained. “I branched out and started doing my own music and I always wrote my own poetry so transitioning to rapping was natural. I can make trap music, I can make pop catchy sounding music and I can make real lyrical stuff too. When I put out a projects I try to put out a little something for everyone to take something away from the project.”

Although most of the world has been shut down over the past few months with COVID-19, Cameron Airborne remains busy producing instrumentals and gearing up for his own studio where he will be able to record artists there.

“Im just on the independent grind, I’m opening up my own studio and that way I can make money, just recording and doing sessions,”CameronAirborneexplained. “I’ve been producing my own instrumentals and so I have a lot of music lined up and some big features tucked away for the right time to present them.”

The Dallas-native has singlehandedly chronicled a resume that will be studied and attempted to be emulated for generations to come. Platinum singles, a-list collaborations, critically-acclaimed mixtapes, stamps from legends like Chris Brown, L.A. Reid and the late-Nipsey Hussle and all of this before even releasing a debut album. Today, the “That’s On Me” hitmaker talks about his journey to the top with correspondent Boom in a new interview for 50 Cent outlet, Thisis50.

During the interview, Yella Beezy talks Dallas’s current musical landscape, provides details on the new album, bad contracts, business outside of music, Drake, Nipsey Hussle, Errol Spence Jr, L.A. Reid and more. Baccen Beezy is currently promoting his new single, “Keep It In The Streets” as he readies a new single with Young Thug, titled, “Headloc,” scheduled for release this month.

Recently Dallas, Texas rapper Fat Yunginnand Cash Money Records are happy to announce the Pleasant Grove rapper’s signing to their iconic rap label. Pictured above with Birdmanand Ronald “Slim” Williams, this young upstart has officially inked a deal with one of the most iconic Hip-Hop/Rap labels in the history of music.

First getting notoriety for his song “Sack Up” in 2016, Fat Yunginn says he always wanted to sign with Cash Money Records and that it’s a “perfect match.”

“I grew up off Cash Money, I grew up listening to them. I ain’t gonna lie I always wanted to be on Cash Money and I always wanted to sign with them. I don’t really go off what other people say or what they do and say about Cash Money. Birdman came up talking about he was the #1 Stunna and if you listen to my flow you can hear my ooh flow fits with this brand. Sack Season / Cash Money Records. It’s a perfect match.”

Raised in Dallas’ Pleasant Grove, Fat Yunginn drew inspiration from his father’s passing and from there began to take off on the strip club scene in Dallas.

“I’m from Dallas Texas, from a hood out there called Pleasant Grove. I started doing music once my Pops passed away and I just took to music and it was just going up from there. Once I dropped Sack Up it went crazy in the strip clubs and so after that I started taking it more seriously. One night I went in the strip club and tipped a couple of females and this big DJ in Dallas named DJ Hit That began spinning it. It took off from there and I did my first paid show off that song,” Fat Yunginn said. “As far as Dallas and the surrounding areas I was able to perform Sack Up out there and I was able to build up my brand. We’re called Sack Season Ent, but we call ourselves Sack Babies. Anything that has to do with a sack of money we about that. Thats basically how they know me around here.”

“I got another song called Show My Assthats another club banger with YellaBeezy and we gonna release that one through Cash Money. I got the visual for my next track, it’s just to get my sound out there a little more and my ooh flow. Its my ad lib you can hear in a lot of my songs. Then I have another with Rylo Rodriguez and another one with Euro Gotti. I got a lot of unreleased music I can’t wait for the fans to hear it,” he added. “I can get in there and start from scratch, the ooo flow, I have fun in the studio. When I came up with the ooh flow I was just playing around people have just been gravitating towards it.”

This week Gabby and Madi serves up their rendition of K.P. and Envyi’s classic hit “Swing My Way”, with a 2020 spin by producer justdoitBRISK. The teen duo have been blazing new trails with young audiences, delivering single after single in recent months. Check out their latest, “Swing My Way” here.